American Morning
Basketball great Abdul-Jabbar has cancer
By Miriam Falco, CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest college and professional basketball players of all time, says he has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer.
"I have chronic myeloid leukemia," Abdul-Jabbar told CNN. He said he received the diagnosis last December.
The 62-year-old former center for the Los Angeles Lakers said aside from having to see his doctor and checking his blood levels on a regular basis, having chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) hasn't significantly affected his quality of life.
Abdul-Jabbar said he's going public now to educate people about this disease.
"I think it's possible for someone in my position to help save lives," he said.
Palin remains a GOP player
From Candy Crowley, CNN Senior Political Correspondent
Washington (CNN) – She was a high-voltage candidate, lighting a fire in the grassroots of Republican-land – fresh, folksy and fierce.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/10/palin.sarah.gi.art.jpg caption="Sarah Palin stepped down from her post as governor of Alaska in July."]
She famously belittled her party's presidential opponent, Barack Obama, at her coming-out party at the 2008 Republican National Convention:
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."
Sarah Palin remains a force - the most recognizable name in the Republican Party, a headline magnet.
Just over a year after the defeat of the Republican ticket, the Republican No. 2 is Amazon.com's No. 1 in non-fiction pre-sales.
Writer of books, giver of speeches, muser of politics on an unusually active Facebook account. And robo-caller on behalf of a conservative group in this year's Virginia governor's race.
A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found 85 percent of Republicans say Palin agrees with them on their most important issues. But only 49 percent of independents feel that way.
It's a telling measure of her political reach - and its limits - that the Republicans who won governor seats in Virginia and New Jersey this year politely rejected Palin's offers to campaign for them.
Missed clues sought in Ft. Hood inquiry
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) - Investigators believe the suspected gunman in last week's massacre at Fort Hood acted alone, but his communications had been flagged by U.S. intelligence agencies in late 2008, the FBI said Monday.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/10/hood.sign.art.jpg caption="Army Spc. Ryan Hill and daughter, Emma, 3, light a candle Saturday near the main gate of Fort Hood in Texas."]
The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, remained in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In a statement issued Monday night, the FBI said its investigation so far "indicates that the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot."
Thursday's shooting left 13 dead, 12 of them U.S. soldiers, and 42 wounded.
Hasan, a U.S.-born citizen of Palestinian descent, was a licensed psychiatrist who joined the Army in 1997. He was promoted to major in May and was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan sometime soon, but had been telling his family since 2001 that he wanted to get out of the military.
A Muslim, he had told his family he had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In August, he reported to police that his car was keyed and a bumper sticker that read "Allah is Love" was torn off. A neighbor was charged with criminal mischief after that complaint.
But the FBI disclosed that Hasan came to its attention as part of an unrelated terrorism probe in December 2008, when agents reviewed "certain communications between Maj. Hasan and the subject of that investigation."
The intercepts "raised no red flags," with no mention of threats or violence that would have triggered a U.S. terrorism investigation, senior investigative officials said Monday.
Romney builds political capital, bides time for 2012 run
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/09/romney.mitt.art.jpg caption="Mitt Romney ran for president during the 2008 election season."]
By Kevin Bohn, CNN
Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) - For a moment, you might think Mitt Romney was still running for office if you look at his travel schedule crisscrossing the country.
Since February, he has attended nine events for senatorial candidates, appeared at more than a dozen rallies or fundraisers for those running for governor this year or next, and spoken at almost two dozen meetings of Republican Party groups or conservative organizations. And he has finished a new book.
"This is a pivotal time in the history of our country," Romney said at his political action committee's office.
As the Republican Party searches for ways to rebound from its recent losses and leaders who can be turned to, Romney clearly is trying to position himself to be one of them.
"I am just one force among many. But a time like this, I think the party is looking for voices that lay out a positive ... vision for the future of this country and for our party. If I can be part of that, so much the better, and there are a lot of good voices out there," Romney said. "I appreciate the fact that others disagree with me on some issues, but that kind of debate at a critical time like this is good for the country."
Romney campaigned for both of the recent successful GOP gubernatorial candidates - Virginia's Bob McDonnell and New Jersey's Chris Christie - and said he plans to stay on the stump through next year's midterm elections.
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